In early 2018, 20 health and wellness practitioners began offering services in De Poort van Borne. The new centre occupies the former St. Theresa’s church in the village of Borne.
The diocese sold St. Theresa’s church,which dates from 1935, to private developer Erik Mijnhardt two years ago. Both parties wished to restore the church’s social, public function to allow it to remain valuable for the village.
The former church now houses twenty different health and wellness service providers, from GPs to speech therapists, psychologists to massage therapists.
In the centre of the church is an inner court, complemented by a multifunctional platform on the first floor. The practices are spread over three storeys surrounding the open area, which serves as a transitional space between the interior and exterior. Visitors can wait for their appointments by the old baptismal font while picking up a prescription at the pharmacy. The building’s past as a church is most palpable in the central court, above which the brick vaults have been left free of insulation. The absence of heating and air conditioning in the spacious court saves a substantial amount of energy. The new practitioners’ offices, on the other hand, have been insulated to a high standard. They are built of lightweight reinforced polystyrene walls covered with sprayed concrete. The result is a dazzling conversion full of inventive solutions that not only preserve but enhance the building’s monumental elegance.